How to Create a Magical Underwater Scene with Photoshop

Step 9

Duplicate the Background layer. You can do this by selecting the Background layer then pressing Ctrl+J (Cmd+J on a Mac). Drag this layer to the top then change the blending mode to Overlay.

Step 10

Create a new layer and position it as the top layer. Name this layer “Glow”.

Step 11

Use the Lasso selection tool to create a selection of the cave like shown in the image below.

Step 12

Fill the selected area with white (Edit > Fill). Then, press Ctrl+D or Cmd+D to deselect the selection.

Step 13

Go to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur. Use the settings shown below.

Your blur should look like this. If it doesn’t, undo and try the Radial Blur filter again using a different Blur Center setting.

Step 14

Next, open the image of the silhouette.

Step 15

We’re going to make a selection of it. Select the Magic Wand tool to make a selection like shown in the image below. Your Magic Wand tool should have a Tolerance setting of 32 – you can adjust this in the option bar located at the top of your Photoshop interface.

Step 16

Go to Edit > Copy. Close the image then switch back to the original Photoshop document we were working on. Go to Edit > Paste and Photoshop will paste the silhouette as a new layer.

Step 17

Use the Eraser tool to erase the excess area around the man.

Step 18

Go to Edit > Free Transform. Shrink and position the man like this:

Step 19

Go to Image > Adjustments > Shadows/Highlights. Set the Amount to 100%. This will reveal some details in the silhouette.